Greek-German interconnection

The way for the recognition of the Greece-Germany electrical interconnection as a European project of common interest (PCI) has been opened by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).

The new green highway promoted by Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator (ADMIE) with the prospect of Greece becoming an exporter of green energy, has been included by ENTSO-E in the preliminary list of electricity infrastructure projects to be evaluated for inclusion in the 10-year network development plan (TYNDP).

The Greece-Germany interconnection is one of a total of 176 interconnection projects that ENTSO-E has included in the preliminary list published on February 29, which also includes 33 storage projects. These are projects that have been submitted by the implementing bodies, such as ADMIE in the case of Greece, in September-October 2023, and have been evaluated by the European administrator as set to contribute to the strengthening of EU infrastructures for the transmission of electricity.

TYNDP is the result of a two-year process that starts with the development of scenarios of what the European electricity system could look like in 2030 and 2040. ENTSO-E then maps the environmental and security of supply benefits and the process is completed with the cost-benefit analysis of the proposed projects. The next step in the TYNDP 2024 process is the publication of the final list of interconnection projects, expected in April.

The electrical interconnection’s inclusion in the final list in April also paves the way for its inclusion in the next list of PCI projects.

The new electric corridor, as shown on the ENTSO-E map, starts from the Preveza area and follows an underwater route to Slovakia and from there to Austria with a final destination in southern Germany. The initial capacity of the interconnection amounts to 3 GW and will reach 9 GW in a second phase.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Alexandra Sdoukou intervened in favor of the voluntary reduction of gas demand at the Council of Energy Ministers, but emphasized that demand reduction is the means for price stability.